Weekly Musings

–This article in The Paste about Anthony Bourdain’s comics the Hungry Ghosts involves chefs in culinary horror stories. Now, this is definitely interesting.

— This article in The Guardian about the “food transparency” movement makes you think about this phenomenon of understanding the source of our food. It looks like food companies and farms have caught onto this practice more so because they believe consumers will choose their products as they give them a “behind the scenes” view of the food. But as the writer points out it’s all also important for them to understand what these scenes depict matters.

“Not everyone gets a chance to visit a farm and learn more about the food we eat. There is an untapped opportunity to open more dialogue between food producers and consumers and create goodwill. Showing hard-working farm workers is a great way to establish that rapport. Showing the crowded living quarters of pigs is not.”

— This article on comfort foods and the psychology behind them was published in 2015.I have always been surprised by this aspect of food. How can something that you eat on a regular basis suddenly turn into a soothing balm for your bad day? Food does work in mysterious ways. Do read this article to understand some of that mystery.

“Both sets of results, Gabriel and her co-authors believe, point to the same idea: that comfort food’s power may lie primarily in the associations it calls to mind. People who have positive family relationships are more likely to reach for reminders of those relationships in times of sadness—and often, those reminders come in the form of something edible. “

—This article on our food fears gives us a lot to think about. I don’t agree with everything it outlines, but I do agree that we cannot advocate “fear” with food to make the so-called right choices. We seem to pick avoidance instead of balance and do not spend time in understanding what it entails.

“Food should be a cause for pleasure, not panic. For most people, it’s entirely possible to eat more healthfully without living in terror or struggling to avoid certain foods altogether. If there’s one thing you should cut from your diet, it’s fear.”